Abstract
The outbreak of COVID-19 at the end of 2019 has had a significant impact on people. While attention is paid to the immense physical harm it has caused, the psychological impact should not be underestimated. The main purpose of this study was to explore the stress, anxiety, and depression levels of different groups of college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted an online questionnaire survey of college students by using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 items (PHQ-9), and the Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS). A total of 1,586 questionnaires were collected and analyzed in R language. The results showed that students with moderate to severe stress (PSS-10 ≥ 14) accounted for 67.50%; the detection rate of depression (PHQ-9 ≥ 5) reached 43.77%; and 20.60% of students had anxiety (SAS standard score ≥ 50). There were significant differences in PSS-10/SAS among different genders, majors, whether returning to school or not, and those with different psychological experiences (negative or positive, P < 0.05). It is notable that the median of female, medical student, non-resumption of schooling, and negative experience was higher than that of positive experience (P < 0.05). The results of principal component analysis showed that there were significant differences in PHQ-9, PSS-10, and SAS between the resumption of schooling group and the non-resumption group. Therefore, it is inferred that the stress and anxiety level of college students during the COVID-19 pandemic is generally high, especially for those who have not yet resumed school. Long-term negative emotions can easily lead to serious mental diseases such as cognitive impairment. Education departments should attach great importance to the mental health of college students, and it is necessary to provide precise psychological interventions for groups experiencing greater pressure levels and marked anxiety and depression.
Highlights
In December 2019 a novel coronavirus appeared, mainly causing a new coronavirus pneumonia, which the World Health Organization (WHO) named Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
The news that school would be resuming had a certain psychological impact on college students, of which positive psychological effects accounted for 70.81% and negative psychological effects accounted for 29.19%
A study has shown that sudden public health events pose a challenge to psychological adaptability, especially in college students [12]
Summary
In December 2019 a novel coronavirus appeared, mainly causing a new coronavirus pneumonia, which the World Health Organization (WHO) named Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). COVID-19 and College Student Stress infectivity, risk of infection and death, strict isolation measures, and other influencing factors have had great psychological impact on most people, especially on the mental health of college students who have extensive interpersonal communication and have heavy learning tasks. In order to stop the spread of the pandemic to college campuses, the start of the 2020 spring semester was delayed and students conducted online learning at home [4]. They went out less and lacked interpersonal communication, creating the potential for psychological stress, anxiety, and even depression [5] which could eventually lead to long-term physical and mental illness. Education departments, colleges, and universities should pay attention to the psychological status of college students during the pandemic and take corresponding measures to guide them
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